Netflix app with MCE remote

I've had the idea to use an old laptop as a Netflix machine for my mother, and I'd like to be able to hook up a Microsoft MCE remote and let her navigate the software with that. She used to use this laptop, but switched over to a Windows 10 tablet when the thing began failing in multiple ways (screen would often not work, touchpad wouldn't work, etc.). However, letting it sit behind her television, hooked up via HDMI and just letting it perennially running Netflix and controlled via a remote seems like a good way to use an old piece of technology that is otherwise destined for the bin.

She has Netflix on her tablet, and while she can hook that up to the television and watch stuff there, the thing only displays at 720P with huge black borders all around, and she has to guess where to press on the screen since the image is only on the television, and obviously this is a huge headache. I told her to just start whatever she wants to watch playing and hook it up, and she can do that, but she doesn't. It's an inelegant solution with her constantly having to bend down to let it sit in it's case and hook up the cable.

I have Windows 10 on my laptop, and I just installed the Netflix app from the store. Setting the laptop to tablet mode and hooking up the Microsoft remote, I tried navigating around, but absolutely nothing happened. It works otherwise on the pc, for example changing the volume and what-not, but it seems the Netflix app doesn't support it at all.

I'm sure some clever sort has worked up a solution for this - does anyone know of any such thing? Or of any workaround that might work?

Edit - I tried the Netflix Remote Controller but it was absolutely dreadful. Sometimes it would hover over a title correctly, sometimes it wouldn't, sometimes it would scroll left or right, it wouldn't play anything I pressed OK on... so that's out of the picture.

If she has Windows Media Center on her pc, open it up and move to where it's say's Movies, click on it and scroll to the left until you see the Netflix icon, download it and after it's installed in W.M.C. setup your or her account for her. The remote will work in anything in Windows Media Center. I know from past experience in Vista, 7, 8, 8.1 and now I have it in Windows 10. In Windows 10 the only thing in W.M.C. that doesn't work is the t.v. stuff, everything else work's. Netflix isn't available in Windows 10 & W.M.C.. I cancelled my Netflix account, but I do know there's a Netflix app in the Windows Store and the remote should work with it.

Staff Member

While this is probably due able I think I would opt to go an easier route. Buy a chromecast for $35, turn on UPnP on the router. Then all you need to do is install the chromcast app to pair it once on the tablet and she can use the tablet to watch netflix on the TV. The newer chromecast casts in 1080p. This would take about 1 minute to setup.